Where We Belong
by past decembers
Summary: "Hey...are you okay?" she reaches one hand out towards him. He slowly raises his head to look at her full in the face, and she notices his piercing blue eyes for the first time. Oneshot. For Evie - happy birthmonth!


**Hey everyone. This (rather long) oneshot is dedicated to my fanfiction friend, Evie, a.k.a. TheUnderstatement. Happy belated birthday! :)**

**I would write you a Glee fic, but since I'm still having trouble finding that first episode (:P), I had to write a SWAC one. Hope you don't mind...*cowers***

**Thanks for being such a great friend. I love our messages on FF and Tumblr. You make me laugh. I wish I had a British accent ;)**

**Hope you like this!**

**(By the way, sorry for the switching POVs and the...length.)**

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Late night. A blond boy of twenty-three walks into the coffee shop on the corner of Oak and Merrick. He sits down on a stool in a row of chairs facing the window. He looks at the calendar on the wall, at the date, July ninth, and a sadness seems to settle over his flawless features. He heaves a sigh.

Late night. A brunette girl of twenty-two rushes into the coffee shop to escape the rain outside. She glances at the calendar on the wall and reads the date, July ninth. She thinks of the ring in her pocket and sighs, a sadness etched onto her beautiful features. She looks around the room for a seat. Spotting a chair next to a blond near the window, she quietly makes her way over and sits. He seems friendly enough. She smiles tentatively at him; he gives a wane smile in return.

The boy looks over at her, and can't help but notice the sorrow splashed over her face. She thinks the same.

The boy speaks first. "You okay?" he asks gently.

She seems slightly surprised that he has spoken, but replies, keeping her gaze on the counter.

"Nah," she says quietly, tracing a pattern on the table with her finger. After a pause, she answers.

"This guy I loved. A couple of years ago, I dumped him. I don't even know why; probably because we'd exited the honeymoon phase and I thought it was for the best," She heaves a sigh. "I was a wreck afterwords. I quit my job; kind of isolated myself from the world, you know? Basically, I broke my own heart - not to mention his."

"Tough," the boy sounds sympathetic.

After a pause, he says, "I've been thinking about this one girl lately, my first love. She dumped me; threw the ring I gave her at my face. Told me to go away," the boy sighs heavily. "So I did. Worst mistake of my life. I still love her, even after so many years. not a day goes by without me picturing her face, her laugh. Her smile.

"I miss her more than I've missed anything in my whole life. I think about her all the time. It might be too much to ask, but...I just wish that fate might someday...well, somehow bring us back together."

The girl smiles softly; his experience seems slightly familiar, but she's sure there've been many like it before.

She digs around her pocket. "He gave me a ring..."

She opens her palm, revealing a silver ring with a delicate blue design engraved in the center. The names of two people are etched on it, one significantly longer than the other.

The girl smiles softly, and does not notice the boy stiffen beside her.

"I still kept it, after we broke up. I don't know why - maybe it was impulse, or..." she trails off as she finally registers the expression on the boy's face.

"Hey...are you okay?" she reaches one hand out towards him. He slowly raises his head to look at her full in the face, and she notices his piercing blue eyes for the first time.

.

_Boy's Point of View_

She held open her palm. A silver ring sparkled inside of it.

"_Go away, Chad!" she screamed, throwing the ring at my face._

_So I turned and walked away._

I stared at the ring. I hadn't known she'd kept it.

I stared at it, that little thing that held a thousand memories.

It couldn't be...and yet...

I lift my head to look at her full in the face. And stifle a gasp.

There they are.

Those chocolate brown eyes that captured my soul, that made me melt so many years before.

It's her.

I open my mouth, wanting to say her name, but choke on the words that aren't there.

I can't. I promised not to. I swore. Over and over again. I can't say her name.

I can't.

.

_Girl's Point of View_

I don't know why I'm telling him all this, some random stranger that could be a former _convict, _for all I know.

But something makes me. Something inside of me trusts this boy.

I look down at the delicate ring in my hand and smile in spit of myself.

A thousand memories.

I say, "I still kept it, after we broke up. I don't know why - maybe it was impulse, or..." I trail off as I register the expression on the boy's face for the first time.

It's one of complete shock. Disbelief. Absolute pain.

I wonder what I've done to cause him this agony.

I reach a hand out to him, acting purely on instinct.

"Hey...are you okay?"

He raises his head.

For the first time, I notice his piercing blue eyes.

"_Go away, Chad!" I scream at him, and throw the ring at his face._

_He stares at me, an unfathomable expression in his eyes._

_Then he turns and walks away._

_I want to scream at him to come back. To run to me and envelop me in his strong arms, where I belonged. The only place I'd ever felt at home. But my voice, can't, _won't_, work._

.

The boy and the girl stare at each other, each thinking the same thing: _Is it really you?_

Silence falls between them, as heavy and smothering as a winter blanket.

.

_Girl's Point of View_

I'd promised never to say his name again. I had sworn to myself, over and over, to never say the name -

"...Chad?" I whispered.

He gives a start, and looks deep into my eyes.

I feel my breathing shift; feel myself get lost in an ocean of blue.

That's when I know it's him.

.

_Boy's Point of View_

"...Chad?" she whispers.

I give a start when she says my name.

I look deep in her eyes, and feel myself slipping away, drowning in a pool of chocolate...

That's when I know it's her.

It's her. _It's her._

Sonny.

.

_Girl's Point of View_

"Sonny?" he whispers, but with a certainty enlaced in his voice.

I don't believe it's him. I can't believe it's him.

I nod.

He completely falls apart - out of joy? Of sorrow? - and begins rambling.

"Sonny. I can't believe it's you. I - I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I should have stayed, I shouldn't have walked away, I should have - "

I take his hand and he stops, gazing at my face in wonder.

I blush slightly, and say, "No, Chad. _I'm _sorry."

Suddenly, I feel a pair of strong arms envelop me, crush me in a warm embrace.

"Oh my God, I've missed you, Sonny," he murmurs.

I hug him just as tight - if not tighter. "I've missed you too, Chad," I whisper.

He pulls back slightly to gaze into my eyes.

I catch my breath.

I feel like a magnet, drawing closer and closer to him...

.

_Boy's Point of View_

I stare into her eyes, and feel ourselves unconsciously getting closer, closer...

Our lips touch, and there is nothing in the world but the sensation of her mouth on mine, a feeling that I've been deprived of for so long.

I feel as if I'm being burnt alive.

I'm on fire.

Everywhere we touch, I feel scorched.

We pull away, gasping for breath.

.

They don't realize that the entire store has been listening to their story since the girl sat down until everyone in the coffee shop stands and applauds.

The boy and the girl smile at each other, their happiness clearly evident on their faces. They turn and walk, hand-in-hand, towards the manager and thank him profusely, leaving him bewildered but happy that his coffee shop has brought together two people who had been separated for too long.

The couple walk out the door to the bright city lights and the outdoors where it is no longer raining, laughing the whole way.

The boy is talking excitedly about how later, they can go meet up with the girl's parents, to tell them the good news, and she throws her head back and laughs. he smiles at the familiar sound and slips one arm around her waist. She sighs happily, resting her head on her shoulder, and knows that after five years, she is finally where she belongs.

As the couple walk down the street, the boy occasionally says something, and the girl laughs - and when she does, even the farthest away of passerby can catch the sparkle of a blue and silver ring back on her finger, throwing the reflection of beautiful city lights for everyone to see.

Many years have passed since that day, but that ring still sparkles and shines on the girl's finger - and has stayed there since that night in the coffee shop where dreams were rekindled and love was found.

If you ever flash forward a few years to look at the girl and the boy's future now, you will see that on the girl's finger is a ring. And on that ring reads these words:

_Sonny Munroe & Chad Dylan Cooper_

_July 9__th__, 2010. Forever and always._

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**Um, okay, so that was kind of long. But I hope you guys liked it (this means you, Evie).**

**Please review. Sorry about that length ;)**

**If you stuck around til the end, congrats. Leave me a review :P**

**By the way, can anyone guess why I chose the date July 9th?**

**Happy belated birthday/birthmonth, Evie. I love you :)**

**-Bridgit**


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